“I genuinely had absolutely no idea the proposal was coming,” bespoke wedding dress designer Ella May Sangster of Ella May London says of her engagement to Hughie de Zulueta. “I think by that point I’d actually convinced myself Hughie and I were never going to get married, so it was a complete surprise!” The two had known each other for years before they started dating—Hughie was an old friend of Ella May’s brother.
During an ongoing hunt for the best martini in London, Hughie got down on one knee at the final stop on their list: The Berkeley. After their first drink, he pulled out a room key and surprised Ella May with an overnight stay. “Later that evening, Hughie proposed to me in the bath at The Berkeley!” she exclaims.
Once engaged, the location was a no-brainer: West Berkshire in southern England. “It was always going to be at home, where my parents live,” Ella May says.
The aesthetic was equally clear and led by a singular hue. In English horse racing, a family’s colors are the signature shades their jockeys wear, and for Ella May’s family, that’s green. “Green ran throughout everything and has always had a lot of significance in my family—our family racing colors are green, my engagement ring is an emerald, and my mum has written exclusively in green ink since she was 18,” she explains.
To bring their vision to life, Ella May enlisted her cousin Eliza Sangster’s company, Dare Collective, but the family involvement didn’t stop there. “My mum, granny and I hand-painted lampshades and sewed pompoms around the edges, and painted all the gold scalloped pots and ashtrays,” the bride shares. “My cousin Eddie hand-painted the pattern for our tablecloths and napkins, which were then made in Sri Lanka by my aunt and uncle who live there. I used the same pattern throughout all of the stationery, alongside a Guinness and martini motif representing Hughie and me.”
Ella May, of course, took on the task of creating her own wedding dress—though, she admits, “Designing my own wedding dress was far harder than designing for any of my brides!” With endless possibilities, settling on a direction initially felt overwhelming. “But once I finally put pencil to paper, that was it. I drew one design and never changed it.”
Subtle, muted pastels and a touch of sparkle complemented the hand-embroidered and beaded flowers. “The embroidery alone took more than 700 hours and five months to create,” Ella May shares. “The final dress was then pieced together by hand in the month leading up to the wedding, alongside my oldest dressmaker, who has been making dresses with me since I was 18.”
Perhaps the most meaningful element of the bridal look was the veil. “My 90-year-old grandmother made it for me and hand-sewed every single flower onto it herself,” Ella May smiles. “She was a dressmaker and the person who first taught me to sew, so wearing something she had made for me felt incredibly special.”
On the morning of the wedding, the bride got ready with makeup artist Kelly Orme, who gave her a natural beauty look. Then, Ella May slipped into her dress, veil, and Jimmy Choos and headed for the aisle.
On July 17, 2026, everyone gathered at St Lawrence’s Church in Hungerford, England. Photographers Arnott & Arnott captured the couple’s “paws of honor”—their four golden retrievers—making their way down the aisle alongside 12 flower girls and page boys.
Ella May walked to the altar as Peter Gabriel’s “The Book of Love” played. “The whole service felt incredibly personal to us, full of the people, music and little touches we love, and not too formal,” the bride remembers. Stevie Wonder’s “Master Blaster (Jammin’)” played as the newlyweds exited the church.
Cock & Tail drinks during golden hour were followed by a reception beneath a sprawling marquee filled with potted flowers by Sarah Styles.
Then came a decidedly unconventional first dance—with a fashion twist—to Baccara’s “Yes Sir, I Can Boogie.” As the song went on, guests watched as Ella May’s mother and bridesmaids appeared with sparkly scissors and began cutting through the pink tacking threads cleverly hidden inside the wedding dress. Photographers Arnott & Arnott and videographer KAS Films captured every magical snip. “As the song built, they gently pulled away my long sleeves and then the full skirt and train,” the bride recalls. “By the time everything had fallen away and I jumped out in the mini version of my dress, the song had reached its crescendo and everyone started dancing.”
At midnight, Hughie put on what Ella May affectionately calls his “nerve-racking firework display” over the house. “He had organized the whole thing himself, which definitely made me slightly nervous, but it was an amazing moment and a brilliant surprise for everyone.”
